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Texas MS 150 raises millions for multiple sclerosis
This weekend will be the 40th anniversary of the Texas MS 150 Bike Ride to raise money in the fight against multiple sclerosis. FOX 26's Tom Zizka has more details on the thousands of cyclists who will help raise millions of dollars.
HOUSTON - The 2024 Texas MS150 is celebrating its 40th anniversary as thousands of cyclists will raise millions of dollars for the fight against multiple sclerosis. The event continues to be the biggest fundraiser of its kind in the county, as it helps improve and lengthen the lines of those living with MS.
Rita Joubran is among them. The Houston woman is riding her 13th MS150, which is something she would have never imagined right after her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, in 2009, when the immune disease attacked her vision and balance.
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"My husband and I went on the internet, which we shouldn't have done, and researched what MS was," remembers Joubran. "We didn't know much about it, and everything said 10 to 15 years and I'd be in a wheelchair. Really scary!"
She found help and a sense of peace when she learned about the National MS Society and witnessed the MS150, in person. "That was the moment that I realized that I was going to be OK. There were thousands of people at the finish line. It was like God saying, 'Hey kid, you're gonna' be OK'," she says.
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Now, she rides, in no small part, thanks to the event's thousands of people on bicycles. The Texas MS150 alone is responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars for research and the creation of 26 different life-extending therapies, where, once, there were none. Still, the fight goes on for the million Americans who live with Multiple Sclerosis.
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"Until we find the cure for this disease, we will continue to cycle; to raise funds so that we can invest back into research so that we can find the cure," says DeAndra Stanley, NMSS South Central Chapter president.
Rita Joubran thinks, and hopes, that day is near, "I am so optimistic. I really, truly believe that we are writing the last chapter in the story of Multiple Sclerosis."
There is encouraging news for riders who had to battle massive headwinds on the ride last year. Forecasters predict strong tailwinds most of the weekend, and a chance of thunderstorms on Sunday, which should provide encouragement to pedal hard toward the finish line at Texas A&M's Kyle Field.